Porzingis Becomes Youngest New York Knick with 25 and 10 in 1 Game

New York Knicks forward/center Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 102-94 win over the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to record 25 or more points and 10 or more rebounds in the same game, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

Selected fourth overall in the 2015 NBA draft, the 20-year-old Latvian was widely viewed as a long-term project, with few outside of the Knicks organization counting on a significant year-one impact.

Even among an impressive rookie class, the skinny 7'3" big man has made a particularly strong impression, averaging 12.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over just 25.3 minutes per game.

Porzingis did get 31 minutes in Tuesday's historic performance, marking his second-highest total through 12 appearances this season.

Foul trouble has been a limiting factor in a couple of games, but it mostly just seems that the Knicks want to ease their prized asset into the flow of NBA action.

Of course, with Porzingis already looking like one of the two or three best players on the team, it will be tough to justify keeping his minutes in the mid-20s, especially given the wide-open nature of the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Rebuilding year or not, the 6-6 Knicks can conceivably contend for the seventh or eighth playoff spot.